Almost like a fairy tale, the
story of Fairbanks is one that is deeply entwined with steam powered paddle
wheelers. Were it not for that fateful day in 1901 when Captain xxxxx desperate
to refloat his grounded steamboat threw E.T. Barnette and all of his goods
onto the south bank of the Chena River the City of Fairbanks would have never
been born.And
from then on, all the way through World War Two and beyond steamships were
Fairbanks life line bringing in a steady stream of dry goods, heavy equipment,
and fresh immigrants.

Historic photo of S.S. Tanana

And then on one crisp autumn
day in 1953 it was all over, when the last great Alaskan river streamer the
SS Tanana pulled up its anchor for the last time and was unceremoniously dry
docked.But
like in every fairy tale, this one too has a happy ending. Unable to imagine
life in Fairbanks and along the Chena River without hearing the sound of a
brass steam whistle or watch a paddle wheeler churn its way up and down stream,
Skip Binkley refused to let this Fairbanksan tradition die.

A third generation riverboat
pilot himself, Skip Binkley began offering tour boat rides taking 15 passengers
out a day, on board a small barge that later becamethe Riverboat Discovery
I. At the time it was felt that while Skip was preforming a noble duty, operating
a riverboat tour in Fairbanks was not financially viable. My my my how times
have changed, today
Discovery III carries up to 700 passengers at a time, and the Riverboat Discover
is by far Fairbanks most popular attraction.

If your thinking of simply dropping by for a ride I might
caution you that reservations are advised at this site. The day that I dropped
by (which I might add was not real buzy)there must have been at least sixty
tour busses parked in front and while I stood taking pitcure more were arriving
at the rate of two-three per minute.

Tours depart daily at 8:45
a.m. and 2 p.m. from Steamboat Landing, off Dale Road. When demand calls for
it, the family runs an evening cruise at 6:30 p.m. Discovery's tour season
runs from May 15th through September 15th.

More than a gift shop the Riverboat Discovery's Steamboat
Landing is a full service mall inside which they offer a tour service desk,
gift shops, boutiques, eateries, and places for photo ops.

The ship, Steamboat Landing as well as the entire grounds
are well maintained. Everywhere you look someone always seems to be upkeeping
and cleaning something.

The biggest attraction and by far in Fairbanks, the Riverboat
Discovery is a must see. Discovery three has three deck offering plenty of
open air as well as indoor seating. The indoor seating area's has this really
great feature of wide screen televisions so that those seated indoors can
watch what's happening on both sides of the river at the same time.

NOTE: The availibility of Riverboat Tours in mid -May
and mid- September depend on the whether the Chena River is free of ice
and local weather conditions. If you are in fact planning a trip to Fairbanks
in mid- May or mid-September you should call the Riverboat Discovery in
advance to see if they are will be conducting tours during your visit.